Only candidates sponsored by him would be on the ballot for the governorship elections in Kogi, Bayelsa, and Imo on November 11.
In his remarks at a news conference on Thursday in Abuja, Apapa claimed that the Court of Appeal’s decision in Owerri had confirmed his status as the legitimate National Chairman of the party.
He said that the court also disbanded the faction led by Julius Abure and ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to accept the candidates for governor that his faction had put out for the election.
“You may recall that on April 5, the FCT High court issued an injunction prohibiting Abure and others from impersonating national party officers.
“As a result, the party selected Alhaji Lamidi Apapa, its deputy national chairman, as interim party national chairman in accordance with the party’s constitution.
Following that, the party under my leadership wrote to INEC to change the date of its primary election from April 15 to April 16, as originally set by Abure.
He said that despite being subject to a restraining order, Abure still went ahead and held his primaries for Imo, Kogi, and Bayelsa on those days.
On the other side, according to Apapa, his faction held primaries on April 16, making the LP hold two elections in the states.
A candidate who took part in the Abure primary, who was miffed by the primary I held, sued me and my candidature in court, claiming that Abure’s candidates were the real deal.
The Federal High Court, Owerri Division declared the primary held by me as the legitimate candidate because Abure was subject to a restraining order at the time he vetted candidates and held his primaries, he said.
According to Apapa, the court acknowledged him as the legitimate party Chairman.
He claimed that Abure’s candidates, including the primary winner, challenged the FHC ruling to the Court of Appeal because they were unhappy with it.
He said that the Federal High Court’s ruling that Abure’s actions were disrespectful because he was subject to a restraining order when he conducted the aforementioned primaries had also been upheld by the court of appeal.
Even at the time this judgement was handed down, the restraining order was still in effect, he claimed. (NAN)
